Summary
Charlie Wrightmay have only had a few performances in his career, but they’ve all been in notable movies and TV shows, including one memorable leading part. As the nephew of Robin Wright, the Golden Globe-winning actress andstar ofForrest Gump,Princess Bride, and many other classics, it could be that Charlie was inspired to enter the industry by his aunt. Born on August 10, 2025, Wright got his TV career started in 2014 at the age of 14 with a small role in the television seriesThe Millers, though he appeared in several commercials before then.
Wright’s big break came in 2017 when he was cast as the new Rodrick Heffleyin the fourthDiary of a Wimpy Kidmovie,The Long Haul, replacing Devon Bostick from the first three films. This new movie received a lot of online vitriol from fans, angry at the casting, and likeJake Lloyd inStar Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, Wright was personally harassed and vilified for simply playing a character. He’s spoken about the subject on hisYouTubechannel,@chawlie_coming to terms with his experience and acknowledging he wants to continue acting.
Every Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie Ranked (Including 2021 Disney+ Reboot)
There have been five film adaptations of Jeff Kinney’s popular book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Here’s every movie, ranked from worst to best.
Creator
Pamela Adlon
Pamela Adlon’sBetter Thingsis an FX comedy-drama starring Adlon as Sam Fox, a single mother and actress in Hollywood trying to balance her career and her three daughters, Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and Duke (Olivia Edward). It’s a raw and hilarious look at motherhood and being a woman in the workplace and Adlon’s creative direction makesBetter Thingsa show with a singular toneand energy. The show only got better in season 3, after co-creator Louis C.K.’s departure following his sexual misconduct scandal, as Adlon had full creative control.
Charlie Wrights plays Adam in season 1, episodes 1 “Pilot” and 3 “Brown”, though he doesn’t speak, and only strums a guitar in the background of one scene. Even so,it’s a notable production to have an early career role inand he got a front-row seat to how talented people like Adlon hone their craft.
Better Things
Cast
Created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K, Better Things is a Black Comedy that was released in 2016 and ran for five seasons before ending in 2022. The series stars Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood, and Pamela Adlon. The series revolves around a mother and her three feisty daughters.
Greg Garcia
The first credited acting role of Charlie Wright’s career came in the Will Arnett-led sitcomThe Millers, in a flashback sequence.The Millersfollows the Miller children, Nathan (Arnett) and Debbie (Jayma Mays), who are forced to take in their parents, Carol (Margo Martindale) and Tom (Beau Bridges), after they divorce. Wright plays a young version of Debbie’s husband Adam (Sean Hayes) in a flashback where Adam dances wildly at a school function.
Even at a young age, Wright knew it was important for him to make an impression if he wanted a role on a network show, no matter how small, and he certainly made his screen time count.
The dance happens in season 1, episode 12, “Miller’s Mind” and Wright really gives it his all in the flashback, twisting and gyrating all over the floor space. Apparently, Wright proved his willingness to go for it in his audition, saying in a@chawlie_video,
“I got that role because I danced like an idiot and went absolutely feral in the audition, dancing like a complete freak. But they loved it.”
Even at a young age,Wright knew it was important for him to make an impression if he wanted a role on a network show, no matter how small, and he certainly made his screen time count.
Director
Matt Spicer
InIngrid Goes West, Aubry Plaza plays Ingrid Thorburn, a lonely young woman from Pennsylvania who has a history of obsessing over social media influencers to the point of harassment. After she discovers Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), a new internet personality she becomes infatuated with, she travels to LA to infiltrate Taylor’s life and worm her way into being friends with her. It’s a dark and grimly funnymovie that skewers toxic influencer culture.
The title ofIngrid Goes Westis a parody of the Amblin animated movieAn American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
Charlie Wright has his first speaking role and film role as Chuck, a skater in LA whom Aubrey pays to punch her in the face. It’s only a brief sequence, but Chuck does look like a prototype ofWimpy Kid’s Rodrick: a punk skater kid, who when confronted by something dark, wavers a little. However, Chuck does end up following through and earning his $100 by punching Plaza square in the face.
Ingrid Goes West
Ingrid Goes West is a dark comedy film starring Aubrey Plaza as Ingrid Thorburn, a troubled young woman who becomes obsessed with a social media influencer, Taylor Sloane, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Directed by Matt Spicer, the film explores the impact of social media on mental health and relationships as Ingrid relocates to Los Angeles in an attempt to insinuate herself into Taylor’s seemingly perfect life.
Ashley Lyle
Bart Nickerson
The cast ofYellowjacketsis particularly expansive, even for other long-form ensemble TV shows, because this cannibal thriller mystery series takes place in the past and present, requiring two actors for nearly every character. Kevyn Tan has the honor of having three different actors play him. In the present timeline, he’s played by Alex Wyndham, but in the past timeline, he’s played by two different actors. Charlie Wright plays him in the pilot, but he was recast in episode 4 when Sean Martin Savoy took on the role.
Despite being labeled a goth in high school and recreationally using drugs, Kevyn Tan eventually grows up to be a detective.
Kevyn is an important character in the present but not as much in the past, with only two small appearances. Wright’s Kevyn is less romantically involved with Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) in the pilot than Savoy’s, but they’re clearly friends. He isperfectly cast as the goth, stoner high school student and is appropriately deadpan but still caring when it comes to watching out for Natalie. AfterDiary of the Wimpy Kid, Wright had fallen out of love with acting, butYellowjacketsreinvigorated his enthusiasm for the art, as he confesses on his YouTube channel,
“…that [Yellowjackets] restored my hope and love in acting and made me decide to get back into it.”
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
David Bowers
The most notable role of Charlie Wright’s career comes inDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haulas Rodrick Heffley. This isthe fourth film in the live-actionDiary of a Wimpy Kidfranchise, and it replaces the entire cast of the first three movies with all-new actors. The anger that came out of these recastings resulted in the popular hashtag#notmyrodrick(viaKnowYourMeme). Wright didn’t stand a chance in the face of an angry internet hive mind, which is a shame considering how great of a replacement he is for Devon Bostick from the original movies.
Wright has a different take on Rodrick, making him less threatening and “cool”, and more of an annoying contemporary of Greg’s (Jason Drucker).
Wright has a different take on Rodrick, making him less threatening and “cool”, and more of an annoying contemporary of Greg’s (Jason Drucker). He may not be exactly like the Rodrick from the books, buthe brings his own humor and spin to the character, ensuring he’s not just mimicking what came before. The hate that came out of the recasting was wildly overblown and a textbook example of how the internet can work itself up into a useless frenzy. In a retrospective video on@chawlie_, Wright talked about his experience,
“I did go through a depressive episode for almost 3 years, um afterwards. And it kind of ruined my acting career, but I’m still alive. I’m still here.”
It’s tragic and absurd that Wright had to suffer that indignation and cruelty, but he seems to have put it behind him. In later episodes on his YouTube, he talks about how much he appreciated working onDiary of a Wimpy Kid,
“…that experience is still the greatest acting experience I’ve had.”
Hopefully,Charlie Wrightis not done acting just yet, and still has many TV and movie performances to give to the world.
